The Heirs of Lethyria
by OathKeeper22
Summary: In an alternate fantasy world called Lethyria, an eighteen-year-old human boy named Kellan is thrown into the unknown when the tiny seaside village he once called home is burned to the ground on his birthday, and done so by none other than the King's Royal Army. With what little help he has, Kellan must face the dark reality that is unfolding before him, and fulfill his destiny.


_"Father, how did you feel on the day of your adulthood ceremony?" Duncan asked._

_"Why do you ask that?" His father responded, obviously caught off-guard._

_In the dim light of the candles set around the dressing room, one should have been able to see slight wrinkles forming around the older man's face, but that was not the case. At the age of thirty-six, he wasn't nearly as elderly as any father of an eighteen-year-old should be, but because of this minimal age difference, one could definitely tell that the two were related. Their facial structures were similar, their builds even, and their sky-blue eyes one in the same. Duncan spoke to his father as he changed into his finery for the ceremony._

_"Because I am not sure how I should be feeling right now, or what I should be thinking." This earned a quiet chuckle from the older man._

_"Well, if you must know, I felt exactly the same." He replied. Duncan raised a dark eyebrow in confusion._

_"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"_

_"It means that you _should _be feeling conflicted. That's how life goes. There are parts of becoming an adult that you will love and are probably looking forward to, but then you are most likely also feeling anxious or nervous, because it will be a foreign concept to you." As he said this, he helped Duncan slowly button-up his golden, embroidered tunic. "But if I know anything about the unknown, which I most certainly do, it's that you must brave through it, no matter what. Because if you walk long enough through the darkness, it is certain that you will eventually stumble across something of light."_

_"Is that some sort of ancient, Alcorian proverb?" Duncan retorted, laughing._

_"Maybe." Was all his father said. Though Duncan could catch a glimpse of a smile on his father's face. After a moment of silence, and once he was fully dressed, Duncan sat down on his bed with a sigh. "What's wrong?" Asked his father._

_"I want you to tell me the story."_

_"What story?" His father asked._

_"Don't play dumb, father." Duncan retorted with a grin. "You know exactly what story I am referring to!"_

_"Oh_ that _story!" His father exclaimed in fake realization. Duncan scoffed._

_"Sly old man." With a chuckle, his father took a place on the bed next to him, and gave a heavy sigh._

_"I did say I would tell you it once you were older, didn't I?"_

_"Yes. You said... you said you would tell me about my mother. And cousin Zackarie."_

_"Well, it's not only about them, you know." His father commented, resting his head on his palm. "It's about you too."_

_"Me?" Duncan replied, his eyes widening slightly in surprise._

_"Yes, and me as well. And many other people I am sure you will recognize when I mention them." He paused for a moment, contemplating. "It ...It will be a very long story, you know that, right?"_

_"Well then I guess I am lucky that you forced me to get ready for the ceremony two hours in advance." This earned a chuckle from his father._

_"Well alright then, you should get comfortable. Because it… starts out brutally, with a fire by the sea."_

Kellan loved the sea.

Actually, in a sense, he loved all water. It was so clear, so serene. And yet, at the same time, it could be dangerous or unpredictable. It was a metaphor for life. Or at least that's how Kellan thought about it. He had spent his entire childhood next to the ocean. In Pallistia, the small seaside village he grew up in, what really else was there but the ocean? Nothing else had interested him. There were friends, of course, and he loved his mother and sister to death, but the ocean, he felt, fit him to a T.

And so, where else would he be on his eighteenth birthday, the night of his adulthood ceremony, but on the beach, watching the sun set over the ocean?

Taking in a deep breath through his nose, Kellan could smell the distinct aroma of sea salt. The warm wind blew past him, ruffling his tousled red hair. The warm sand shifted between his fingers as he leaned back. He heard the last few calls of the seagulls as they began to disappear for the night. He had hoped that going to the beach would calm his mind for the ceremony, and it certainly did the trick. He could have stayed there forever, but reality was calling to him.

Well, in actuality, it was his sister.

"Kellan!" She shouted over the sound of the waves. Kellan's eyes shot open, his meditation apparently done, and looked up. Long, red locks, so similar to his own, draped down around his face as his sister leaned over him. "You do realize your trousers are filthy now, don't you?" she commented, obviously unhappy.

"And do you, Arden, realize that your hair is getting in my mouth?" Kellan retorted. With a sigh, she stood straight, allowing for Kellan to stand up as well.

"If you hadn't noticed," Arden began as Kellan wiped the excess sand off his trousers, "and I'm nearly certain you have, it's almost sundown. Which means..."

"I know, I know, Arden, the ceremony's going to start in half an hour." Kellan interjected. Arden frowned a little.

"If you knew, then why were you out here?" This earned a chuckle from Kellan.

"It's because there is only a half hour left that I came out here." He replied. Arden raised an eyebrow in confusion, causing Kellan to sigh. "I suppose you wouldn't understand. I just... needed to clear my head. Today is a big day, after all." Arden gave a half-smile at this.

"I suppose I do understand, then, when you put it that way..." She replied, looking out towards the ocean. "But... that doesn't mean we shouldn't hurry!" In a swift motion, she grabbed her twin brother's hand, and pulled him along in a sprint up the hill to their house.

It was a small cottage, overlooking the bluffs that formed further east past the beach. The entire building was made of light brick, and it had a thatched roof, all to help keep the home cool during the hot and humid summers in Pallistia.

This night wasn't so bad, though, in comparison to what a mid-July day could have been. The humidity was almost non-existent, surprisingly, and the air was already beginning to cool down as the sun was setting.

Reaching the front door to the cottage, Kellan and Arden entered to find their mother, Leah, by the fireplace, cooking a stew to bring to the village feast. She looked just how a traditional mother would; she wore a long, simple dress, with an apron tied around her waist, and her hair, the same beautiful red as her children's, was put up into a complicated bun.

"There you are, you two!" She exclaimed as they came inside, "I was beginning to wonder if you had managed to get Arden to dally off as well, Kellan."

"Impossible, mother," replied Arden proudly, "I am far too resilient for him to let me make a fool of myself."

"I don't need to do anything for you to make a fool of yourself." Kellan muttered under his breath. Arden guffawed and raised a hand to slap him, which he easily deflected, and instead embraced his sister.

"You are the king of sass, you know that Kellan?" Arden scolded, unable to move in his grasp.

"Come on, you know I didn't mean it!" Kellan pleaded with a laugh.

"Just be nice to one another, both of you." Their mother chided half-heartedly as she wrapped the kettle full of stew in a cloth. "And anyway, we should get going so we won't be late. "Are the two of you all ready?"

Kellan nodded, as did Arden. They were both dressed in the finest clothing their mother could make, with the finest fabrics she could afford. It was lucky in this case that she was the town's most prominent seamstress and tailor. She had been doing the job for as long as either of the twins had been alive. And for their class, they truly did look elegant. Their outfits matched, which was fitting, considering they were undergoing the adulthood ritual together. Each of them was dressed in forest-green: Kellan with his green vest, and Arden with her green dress. There was also gold weaving around the seams, to make the ensembles look more formal. Leah gave a small smile, admiring her hard work, and how wonderful her two children looked.

As the three of them were about to make their way outside, though, someone burst through the front door, causing Arden to shriek, Leah to gasp, and Kellan to nearly punch the intruder in the face.

That was, until they all saw who it was.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Exclaimed Zander, who was panting fiercely. One could tell that he obviously ran the entire way there. "I couldn't figure out what to wear, and then my mother wanted me to…" He stopped mid-sentence after noticing the expressions on his friends' faces. "What's… wrong?" He asked.

"Zander, you buffoon!" Scolded Arden as she stomped her foot. "You almost gave me and my mother a heart-attack!"

"And _I _almost punched you in the face." Commented Kellan. This earned a chuckle from Zander.

"Please, Kellan, your punches couldn't hurt a squirrel, even if it was standing still." Responded Zander. It was true, too. Kellan was never truly the fighting type. And indeed, he wasn't much for any sort of athletics, except for swimming. He was much more a person of the mind. He took whatever books he could get his hands on, and would go down to the beach to read. He did this whenever he had time to spare, and when he wasn't spending time with Zander, who was his best friend, and also Arden's fiancé.

The two boys had known each other for nearly ten years now, and were nearly inseparable, except for when it came to Arden. She was far too close to the both of them for either of the boys to fully ignore her; Zander, who was deeply in love with her, despite her constant chiding, and Kellan, obviously, because she was his twin, and his one and only sibling.

"But anyways," Continued Zander, "I'm sorry guys! I thought you all knew I was meeting up with you?"

"No, Zander, it was just me." Muttered Arden. This caused a slight blush to spread over Zander's cheeks.

"Oh… I see." He nearly whispered back.

"Okay, love-birds!" Interjected Kellan, "You can save it for later! Right now, we have to get to the town square. Wouldn't want to be late for our own adulthood ceremony, now would we?" Arden scoffed as the group began to shuffle outside.

"You weren't saying that ten minutes ago! Why the sudden change of face?"

"Arden, darling, calm down." Chided their mother. "Kellan's right, even if he isn't usually one to be on time. Just remember, today is your big day!" Arden stuck her tongue out at Kellan before quickly walking up ahead.

Within a few minutes' walk, the four of them had arrived in the town square. Pallistia was a fairly small village, after all. The main portion of the town was only about a half-mile long and one mile wide. But if one were to count the few small farms and orchards that associated themselves with the village, then Pallistia covered about ten square miles. Despite it being right next to the sea, it wasn't really a port, either. The waters were too shallow for any amount of ships to dock close enough, and there were a large number of protruding rocks and small islands surrounding the beach area. If one were to ask why the village had even started existing there in the first place, the townspeople would say that it was because of the beautiful scenery.

Kellan knew this all too well. He so enjoyed looking at the colorful birds, the tropical trees, and the wonderful flowers that would bloom around his birthday. To top it off, as well, the village was nestled at the base of the Versa mountain range, which towered at extraordinary heights, and continued to the northeast. Pallistia was as far south as one could get within the kingdom of Asmarden, and the village people never had to worry about the politics in the capital, Fortress, or the danger of invasion in Metria, which was just on the border of the neighboring rival kingdom to the north, Dedan. Pallistia was the most peaceful place in the world that Kellan could think of.

And, truly, he felt at peace that night.

As soon as everyone was ready, the ceremony began. There was a wooden stage set up in the middle of the plaza, and nearly everyone in the town was gathered to celebrate. And, once Kellan was actually up on stage, he finally realized just how many people had come out to support him and his sister.

He even spotted some other familiar faces in the crowd. There was Eveleth, the other girl in town who was the same age as him and Arden. She was fairly close to them, and usually spent time with his sister when she wasn't with him and Zander. He almost laughed, too, because her unbelievably curly blonde hair stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd.

And, just as the ceremony was beginning, another face caught his eye.

This person, though, wasn't in the crowd towards the front, but rather, he chose to stand off to the side, leaning on a lamppost. His face was expressionless, and his golden eyes unfaltering. And even though Kellan hadn't seen him in so long, those eyes were a dead giveaway.

_Why is Conrad here? _Wondered Kellan. It might have been odd, singling one person out like that, but he had reason to do so. Conrad and Kellan used to be best friends back when they were very young, around eight or nine years old. That was, until Conrad had pushed Kellan away, out of the blue. Kellan specifically remembered the day that Conrad told him 'I don't want to be your friend anymore'. At the time, Kellan had absolutely no idea why he would have said that, and still to this day it was a mystery to him. But once he had gotten home to his mother, crying, she told him that people who weren't willing to put in the effort for you were not worth your tears.

Kellan followed that example, and he wouldn't let Conrad ruin his ceremony either.

The ritual consisted of the village clergyman reading a few passages out of the Tome of The All-Father, and then Kellan and Arden both sipped from a goblet of red wine. It was bitter, and Kellan wasn't sure if he liked the taste, but it was a symbol of becoming an adult, since only adults could drink alcohol. And since it signified the end of the ceremony, it wasn't all that bad either.

With a cheer, the townspeople congratulated the twins, and the feast could finally begin. A small band of mistrals began playing, and a small open area of the plaza became the dance floor. Kellan wondered if most of the people only came for the partying, but didn't mind. He, in fact, found it rather funny.

After sitting down next to zander, his sister, and his mother, Kellan felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw it was Eveleth, wearing her finest baby-blue dress.

"Congratulations, Kellan!" She chirped. Kellan smiled up at her.

"Thanks, Eveleth." He replied.

"Would you, um, like to dance with me?" She asked nervously. Kellan gave a small smile.

"I'm no good at dancing, sorry." He said apologetically, earning a disheartened look from Eveleth.

"No, that's okay." She muttered, waiting a moment before speaking up again. "Well, instead, would you like to go and get in line for food with me?" Kellan gave a small sigh. He knew she really liked him, and was constantly reminded by Zander about it. 'She wants you, so why don't you just give her a chance?' he would say. But Kellan continually refused. He didn't feel the same way. He had known Eveleth for his entire life. And although he understood how bad she must have felt, hinting at it so much to only be faced with rejection, he didn't have the heart to give in, and end up leading her on without returning the feelings. But just going to get food with her was definitely not crossing the line, and wouldn't do any harm.

"Sure, that sounds fine." He replied, getting up from his seat on the wooden bench. The two of them made their way over to the growing line for the buffet of food, each item brought by a different family from within the village. And there were nearly a hundred different dishes to chose from; stews, casseroles, fresh vegetables, warm breads, and even a full roasted pig from the butcher's family. The smells made Kellan's mouth water, and he could hardly wait to fill his plate.

Which, he most certainly did. And, upon returning to the table to eat with his family, he received a knowing grin from Arden at the sight of the pile of food on his plate.

"A little hungry, are we?" She asked jokingly.

"It takes a lot of energy to be _this _gorgeous!" Kellan replied proudly, producing a giggle from Eveleth, who had managed to steal a spot next to him. "Plus," he continued, "I'm not the only one who's apparently starving." He motioned over to Zander, who was in the middle of shoveling some mashed potatoes and gravy into his mouth. His plate, also, was a heap of food, layered one after the other. Arden shuddered at the sight, but then let out a muffled laugh at the sight of all the excess gravy on her fiancé's chin.

"You are impossible, aren't you?" She commented, wiping the mess off his face with her napkin.

"Urh khrnt hrlp urt!" He said.

"Excuse me? What was that? I couldn't understand with all the food in your mouth!" Frowning, Zander quickly swallowed the mashed potatoes, then repeated himself.

"I said: I can't help it!"

"You can certainly help to not guzzle down your food." Retorted Arden. "It's not like someone's going to steal it from you."

"Well, okay, I'll give you that. But I can't help that I eat a lot!" He said with a pouty face.

"If it helps," Arden muttered. "It definitely doesn't show." She leaned in close to Zander, and kissed his cheek.

He could only let out a nervous laugh as his cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

After finishing his meal, and after accepting more congratulations from well-wishers, Kellan snuck his way out of the festivities. It was easy to see that nobody would be missing him; the adults were starting to act drunken, families were getting ready to return home for the night, and children were preoccupied with the chance to stay up late and play. Not to mention Kellan was also starting to feel the effects of the three glasses of wine he had managed to drink. So, trying to walk in a relatively straight line, he wove his way through the cobblestoned streets towards his home, where he would be able to get some shut-eye.

As he walked farther and farther away from the plaza, though, it was becoming dark, and rather than relying on his eyesight to guide himself home, Kellan was instead counting the different turns he had to take in order to reach the house.

But suddenly, out of the darkness, a firm hand grasped his shoulder.

"Son of a…!" He exclaimed, turning around in a flash. He tried to throw a punch at the stranger, but was held fast. At this point, he already knew it was a man, but in the darkness he couldn't tell whom exactly.

"Relax, it's me." The figure said, causing Kellan to lower his fist. Their voice was distinctively lower than he remembered, but he knew who it belonged to.

"…Conrad?" He muttered. "Is that you?"

"Yeah." He responded in a nearly monotone voice.

"What do you want?" Said Kellan coldly. In other circumstances, he wouldn't have acted as cold, but he was almost sure he was drunk, so there was really no helping it.

"I… wanted to say hello." This caught Kellan off-guard.

"You… what?"

"It's been a long time. Almost ten years, right?"

"You mean since you said you didn't want to be my friend and then left town to go live with your uncle for no apparent reason? Yeah, it has." He replied, his words oozing with anger.

"Ouch," Winced Conrad. "I guess I deserve that."

"Yeah, you do."

"Is there any chance you would possibly forgive me?"

"Why would you want that?" Asked Kellan. "I thought you didn't want to be my friend anymore. At least that's what you said." Conrad gave a deep sigh.

"I know I said that, and I'm sorry if I hurt you, but…"

"But…?"

"But I was nine. I didn't really mean it. And I want to make up for it." Kellan paused for a moment, shocked. He figured it made sense, that Conrad hadn't realized what he was doing when they were young.

"So you're saying you… want to be friends, again?"

"If it's aright with you, yes." Kellan paused again, this time to think. It took a few moments before he responded.

"Alright, well, I'm pretty drunk right now, so I'll sleep on it, literally, and give you an answer tomorrow, okay?"

"… Fine, I understand." Conrad replied, obviously a little frustrated to have to wait. "At noon tomorrow, meet me by the big Willow tree, where we used to play."

"It's a date." Replied Kellan. He could tell Conrad stiffened up a little at the comment. "Well, not really a date, but sure, I'll be there." And with that, Kellan continued to make his way home, contemplating just how awkward that conversation had been.

But questions continued to fill in his head as he walked. Why had Conrad come back after so long? Why hadn't he come to visit once in the time that he was gone? And what exactly had made him want to start being friends again? On a regular night, these questions would have kept Kellan from sleeping, but due to the large dosages of alcohol he had taken, he nearly passed out the moment his head hit the pillow, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

That was, until he jolted awake, surrounded by flames.


End file.
